Although it has been utilized as a food from ancient times, konjak has recently attracted special interest and has been put in the spotlight because of its non-calorie properties and its usefulness as dietary fiber.
However, konjak is in most cases used in the form of a slab or the like, e.g. in firm gel form in which shape it is usually eaten, so that konjak has not yet been satisfactorily utilized as a processed food material which may be added to a food in order to give it a unique flavor or improve its properties, or which may be utilized as a binder or for calorie control purposes.
The reason for this may be attributed to the slow development of a technique by which a konjak raw material, for example, konjak flour, may be formed into good quality processed food materials or food additives.
More specifically, according to a typical conventional process for producing konjak, 900 to 1200 liters of water is added to about 30 kg of konjak flour, allowing the latter to swell and thus preparing konjak paste, after which lime is added to and mixed with the konjak paste in an amount of 3 to 6% with respect to the amount of konjak flour.
Then, the mixture is placed in a container, forming frame or the like and heated at about 80.degree. C. for about 60 minutes to thereby obtain a piece of konjak in firm gel form. This method has been practiced for many years.
Accordingly, if one is to use konjak flour as a food material for addition to another processed food or the like, it is conventional practice to add konjak flour in the form of a finely-ground powder with a view to facilitating dissolution, or in the form of konjak paste which is formed by making konjak flour swell by addition of water or by mixing lime with konjak flour.